Dreams Of Darkness
by starrynight878
Summary: When Rosa set off on her Pokémon Journey, she had no clue what she was in for. She started off as an innocent girl from a small town, but as she continues on her journey, clues of a strange man appear everywhere. The man's name is N. Based off of the game Pokémon Black 2. I do not own Pokémon or Nintendo. This has no relation to Until Time Stops, my other PokeFic.
1. A Strange Awakening

Chapter One

A Strange Awakening

**Hey everybody, Star here again! I know that it's been forever since you've heard from me...Well, okay, not THAT long, but still I missed writing for you guys so much! So, you asked for it, and here it is! This is the new fanfiction I'm writing for POKEMON BLACK 2! Yep, N is going to be in it! I love this game so much...I hope you guys enjoy it! I may not be posting regularly, with all of the stuff I'm having to deal with lately, but I'll try to get a chapter up every week on Sunday. That's going to be my deal for you. :) So I hope you guys love this as much as you did Until Time Stops. By the way, I've reached over 12,000 visitors on that, so thank you so much. That really means a ton to me. LOVE YOU GUYS! xoxo-Star**

Waking up, I immediately noticed the unusual amount of peace that existed in my house at the moment. Not a noise. Not one, single noise. To most people, that might not be much of a strange occurrence. But to me, it was really, really strange. My mom was one of those people who woke up early and talked quite loud. I slowly undid the covers of my lime green bed, stepping out onto the cold wooden floor of my bedroom. Walking into the kitchen, I realized that my mom was actually gone.

I tilted my head, but payed really no notice to it. I looked at the clock, seeing that it was already almost ten. I went back into my bedroom, shutting the door and getting dressed in my usual outfit. I always wore a blue and white long-sleeved shirt with a pink pokeball on it, and black pants with a yellow skirt. My mom said that I dressed too crazily, but I didn't care. It was my style, whether she liked it or not.

Another weird quirk about me was the way that I wore my hair. I always twisted it up into buns on either side of my hair, and then allowed it to droop into pigtails. Yeah, it was strange, but I liked the way it looked. My father had always teased me and put it up like that. My dad was actually in a different region now. He was a pokemon researcher, and he traveled all over the world to try and find new species of pokemon. I didn't get to see him much, but it was fine. I knew he was doing something really important.

Once I was finally dressed, I heard the front door open. I slipped on my tennis shoes, (Which were blue, yellow, and white) and walked over to my door. I opened, it, walking out into the main room to see my mom closing out of her Xtransceiver. I smiled, walking over to her. For some reason, she seemed a bit out of breath.

"Good Morning mom." I said happily. She smiled, leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek, like any mother would do in the morning.

"Good morning Rosa. Did you sleep well?" she asked me, stroking back my hair. I laughed, nodding slightly.

"Yeah, I did." I replied. However, I left out the small detail that the reason I had slept well was because she wasn't up at 5 in the morning, roaming the house singing to herself. She smiled.

"Well, that's good. Now, I've got to ask you something. Do you know Professor Juniper?" she asked me. I wracked my brain for a moment, then finally came to a conclusion.

"Oh, yeah! She's a famous Pokemon researcher, just like Dad, right?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Yes, and a very old friend of mine, actually. She called me today for the first time in ages! I know this is completely out of the blue, but Rosa...Do you want to have a Pokemon?" she asked me. I froze for a moment, my eyes wide in excitement. I automatically knew that answer.

"Well, yeah! That would be amazing!" I exclaimed happily. She smiled, patting my arm gently.

"Okay, well then, step one is complete. Well then, do you know what a pokedex is?" she asked me. Again, I automatically knew the answer. In truth, I had been studying up on pokemon for the past three years so one day, I could be just like my dad. But, I had never really told anyone about that.

"Yeah, it's a device given to new trainers. It automatically records any Pokemon that you encounter on your journey." I replied. She nodded in approval.

"Yes, very good. I knew you would know the answer. Now, would you like a Pokedex?" she asked me. I nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I do. That would be amazing." I said. I didn't know for sure what she was getting at, but I had a pretty good idea.

"Okay then, step two is completed. Now, Rosa, your course of action has been set. A girl named Bianca has come here to meet you! She's Professor Juniper's assistant. I was told to simply look for a big, green hat." she began. I waited in anticipation. My mom smiled.

"Yep, that's right. You're going to go look for Bianca. And then, you'll get a Pokedex, and a Pokemon to be your partner." she said. I squealed, jumping up and down. Finally, I would get to go on my own journey!

"Okay, well you'd better get going Rosa. Oh, and that young lady may be a bit lost, since she's never been here before. But just go look for her! Be careful!" she said. I nodded, then sprinted out the door. Suddenly, I heard a voice call my name.

"Hey, Rosa!" it said. I immediately recognized it as my friend Hugh. He and his little sister walked over to me slowly.

"Have you gotten your Pokemon yet? There aren't any trainers around here, and I'm getting pretty bored." he said. I looked at him in excitement.

"Oh, wow! You're getting a Pokemon too! That's awesome. But no, I'm going to go get one now. From a girl named Bianca." I said. He tilted his head, his blue hair falling slightly over his face.

"Bianca? And she's giving you a Pokemon? Really? That's cool." he said. I nodded. Hugh's sister walked over to me.

"Rosa...If you get a Pokemon, take really good care of it, okay?" she asked me. I smiled, reaching forward and fixing her hair. She had always been like a little sister to me too, since I had known her brother for so long.

"Yes, of course I will. I'll make sure it's the happiest Pokemon alive, okay?" I asked her. She nodded in agreement.

"Okay, well let's go get your Pokemon. There's something I need to do, and to do that, I need someone I can trust besides my partner Pokemon. A person I can trust. That's right, I'm talking about you Rosa! After all, I've known you longer than practically anyone. Oh, you head on home sis, okay?" he said, turning back to his sister.

"Okay big brother." she said, turning around and going home. I was staring at Hugh. I never realized that he had considered me that great of a friend...I mean, yeah, we hung out all the time...But for him to say that he trusted me more than anyone in the town...That was really special to me.

"All right, let's go find that person named Bianca." he said, winking at me. I smiled, and we began walking through the town. After walking around the entire town, we still couldn't find her. Hugh turned to me.

"We could always try the lookout. I mean, that's the only place that we haven't checked in the town...So we should go." he reasoned. I agreed, and so we walked to the other end of town, down the long path to the lookout. Once we were there, we climbed the stairs to the very top.

There, looking out over the town, was the lady in the green hat. We had finally found her. I turned back to Hugh, who sighed in releif. He then stepped aside.

"Okay, well, go get your Pokemon! I'll be waiting here for you, okay?" he asked me. I agreed, walking up to the platform. I walked over to the lady, and tapped on her shoulder softly, so I wouldn't scare her.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Bianca?" I asked her. She turned to me, looking a bit dazed an confused.

"Oh, yes that's me. Assistant of the Pokemon professor. Sorry, I was just looking at the scenery. It's so pretty...But anyways, you must be Rosa, am I right? Wow, you're exactly like what I heard you would be like! It's nice to meet you!" She said.

"Yeah, you too." I said, shaking the hand that she had outstreached to me. The girl looked very kind, with blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and bright red glasses.

"Okay, well I have a very important question for you. Will you help us complete the Pokedex?" she asked me. I nodded, answering the question for a second time. She grinned.

"Oh, wow, thanks! Your support will help Professor Juniper's research move foward! Anyways, filling up the Pokedex is totally fun! But, now, I've got something for you! Okay...Ta-daaaa! In here is the Pokemon that will be your partner." she said.

I studied the box in her hand. It was silver, with a huge glass lid over it. Bianca pressed a button, and the glass lid slid backwards to reveal three labeled PokeBalls. The first one read, 'Oshawott-Water Type' The second one read 'Tepig-Fire Type' And the final one read, 'Snivy-Grass Type' I studied them for a moment.

"I...I guess that I'll take Snivy please." I said, finally making my decision. I took out the pokeball, clutching it in my hand. She smiled.

"Oh wow! You and that Snivy are a perfect match!" she said. I was confused by that for a second. Why did she think that I resembled a grass snake...But I didn't care. I had finally gotten my own Pokemon!

"Well, now that you've got a Pokemon, you need a Pokedex too! So, here you go!" she said, handing me a small pink device, that looked a bit like a cell phone. I thanked her, putting it in my pocket. Suddenly, Hugh bounded forward.

"Hey, how long were you planning on keeping me waiting anyways? Hey, what's that? OHH it's your partner, isn't it? That's great! But what's that you're holding in the other hand..." he asked, staring at my Pokedex. Bianca suddenly spoke up.

"That's a Pokedex!" she said. Hugh looked confused for a moment, but then looked quite serious. He looked Bianca in the eyes.

"Please...Can I have one too? I want to get stronger...If I have a Pokedex, I can learn more about Pokemon. And I'll get better, right?" he asked her. She studied him for a moment, then reached in her pocket.

"Okay...I guess you're right. Here you go!" she said, giving it to him. He thanked her, then turned to me.

"Let's see how good of a trainer you are! I'll use my Tepig...I raised it from an egg!" he yelled. I stared at him like he was crazy.

"Wha-But I just got my Pokemon!" I exclaimed. He shook his head, taking out his PokeBall.

"Nope, I won't let you back out of this one. Tepig, GO!" he shouted. His Pokeball burst open, and a small orange pig popped out. I threw my PokeBall on the ground, like he had, and my Snivy came out. I took out my Pokedex, pointing it at Snivy.

"Snivy. Grass Type. Level 5. Male. Attacks include Tackle and Leer." it said. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I knew what it could do now...

"Okay, Tepig, use Tackle!" he yelled. The Tepig ran towards Snivy quickly. Thinking on my feet, I quickly yelled a command at Snivy.

"Dodge it, then use tackle!" I screamed. Sure enough, Snivy jumped out of the way just in time, dodging the attack. Then, it came from behind, knocking Tepig over. Hugh looked at me in astonishment, then back at his Tepig.

"Okay, Tepig, use tail whip!" He said. The Tepig walked over, wagging it's tail. I checked my Pokedex, seeing that it had lowered Snivy's attack. But, I felt that the Tepig was already quite weak.

"Snivy, Tackle! One more time!" I shouted. My Snivy jumped into the air, landing on top of Tepig and bringing it down. The Tepig lay on the ground, knocked out. I stared at it, suddenly feeling bad. But, I ran over to my Snivy, hugging it.

"Great job! You're such a great Pokemon!" I exclaimed loudly. It rubbed its head against my hand, and I smiled. Then, I looked up at Hugh sadly.

"Sorry about that...Is you're Pokemon okay?" I asked him. He blushed, looking at his Tepig.

"Yeah, he's fine. Don't apologize, that's what battles are for. But you're really strong. Now, I'm heading off. Get stronger!" he yelled, running down the stairs and away. I stared after him, then returned my Pokemon to it's PokeBall.

"Both your Pokemon are so strong! That was an amazing battle. But, you might want to heal Snivy at the Pokemon Center. You've been there before, right?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, with my dad. I'll be fine. But thank you so much Bianca. I'll see you later." I said, then walked away toward the center, happy that I finally had a Pokemon.


	2. Floccesy Ranch

Chapter Two

Floccesy Ranch

**Hey guys! This story is finally back! Sorry for the long wait. I wrote a few chapters, then thought that I had erased them, which totally got me uninspired, then I found them again a week before I was leaving to go to a convention waaaay off in Ohio, (Colossalcon) Then I went on vacation with my family, then I came back and forgot about it. And now, I shall post this chapter! Because I can finally write again! Or at least, for the next month or so until the dreaded school returns...But, I'll try to get a few more chapters out before then! Sorry I've been neglecting this account guys, I have a ton of projects going on. But I haven't forgotten about you! I promise! This chapter's a little slow, but the future ones should be more dramatic and exciting. Anyways, I love you guys so much! Thanks for supporting my writing the way you do! 3 xoxo-Star**

After I had healed my Pokemon up at the Center, I walked outside. However, when I reached the other side of the door, I saw my mother waiting for me on the other side. I smiled, a bit confused.

"Hi Rosa! Oh, Bianca told me that you picked Snivy to be your partner! That's great. Especially since your father loves grass type Pokemon so much..." she said, trailing off slightly. Then, she took a bag off of her shoulder. I instantly recognized the bag as the one that I always carried around with me.

"Here, take this bag sweetheart. It's got all that you'll need to travel. I packed two town maps. Give one to Hugh when you see him next. Oh, and Bianca's waiting for you on Route Six to show you how to catch more Pokemon." she said. I smiled, taking the bag. That would be a bit pointless, since I already knew how to catch Pokemon. My dad had taught me a long time ago.

"Okay Mom. Thanks! I'll be sure to get it to Hugh when I find him. Well...I guess I had better get going then...I want to get to the next town before sundown." I said. That wouldn't be hard, since it was early morning still. My mom nodded as I slung my bag over one shoulder.

"Alright then. Bon Voyage! Make sure to come back and visit me often! And call me to let me know that you're doing alright!" she said. I nodded, hugging her quickly, though all I really wanted to do was get going. With one final goodbye, I headed for Route 6.

I was ready to get on the road. I really was. This was the day I had been waiting for forever. I was ready to become a trainer. That was all I had ever wanted. I ran out onto the road, looking around. I instantly saw Bianca, so I ran over to her. She put away her XTransceiver, smiling.

"Hi Rosa! It's great to see you again." she said. I smiled, returning her greeting kindly. Then, she turned to the tall grass behind us.

"Alright, so I should probably show you how to catch a Pokemon, right?" she asked me. I blushed, looking away.

"Well, actually...Not necessarily...When my mom wasn't paying attention, my dad actually taught me. You just weaken the Pokemon, then throw a Pokeball, right? Pretty simple..." I said, embarrassed. She laughed, nodding.

"Oh, all right. Well then, you just made my job alot easier. Okay, so just continue straight down this path until you reach Floccesy Town. Bye Now! Meet lots of Pokemon!" she said, then walked down the path. I smiled after her.

"Snivy, go!" I yelled. The small grass snake came out of its Pokeball, then turned to look at me. I was pleased to see that it at least appeared happy to see me.

"Okay Snivy, let's practice on some wild Pokemon. Come on!" I said. Snivy followed me into the tall grass, and we began to battle many wild Pokemon. However, I didn't really want to catch any of them. I only had three Pokeballs at the moment, and didn't really want to waste any of them.

I battled a few wild Purrloin, all of which my Snivy took down easily. He was such an amazing Pokemon. But, I still couldn't help but feel a little bad for the poor Pokemon that I had to defeat.

But anyways, I soon found myself going to Floccesy Town. However, when I was almost there, I heard a voice call to me from somewhere.

"Hey! Trainer!" it called to me. I looked around, finally looking up. There was a man, standing at the top of a cliff edge. He had hair that appeared to be lit on fire. He wore robes, that also resembled fire, wrapped around himself. I stared at him in confusion.

"My name is Alder. I am a trainer with a keen interest in the world. One of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk toward the future together with Pokemon." he exclaimed. Then, before I could say a word, he lept off the edge.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, diving forward as if to catch him. But, to my surprise, he landed gracefully on his feet, turning to face me. By this time, I was convinced that this man was insane. But, I didn't run. I stayed put.

"And you are?" he asked me, extending a hand. I considered for a moment, then took his hand. I didn't have a bad feeling about him...I just thought that he was strange...

"Rosa...My name is Rosa...I'm from Aspertia City." I said, trying to make my voice as strong as I could. We shook hands for a moment.

"Ah, Rosa. That's a very nice name." he said. His gaze fell then upon my Snivy, who was standing between the two of us.

"Your Snivy is a very fine-looking Pokemon. But you aren't exactly a seasoned trainer yet...Well then, I've decided. I will train you a little. Follow me." he said, turning and walking away. I was unsure of whether to follow him or not, but I did. What did I have to lose?

He lead me all the way to Floccesy Town, where he stopped, turning to make sure that I was still behind him. Then, he spun around again, and I followed him. He lead me along to what seemed to be a basketball court.

"Hmm, I seem to notice that you are carrying two town maps. Why is that?" he asked me. I looked down to see that they were poking out of my bag.

"One is for my friend..." I explained slowly. I was still unsure of who this man was...After all, I had just met him moments ago.

"Well, I believe I saw a young man on my way here. He went to Route 20. You should give him the map first. He was probably headed for the Ranch." Alder said. I stared at him. Why was he so mysterious? But I simply nodded, walking towards Route 20.

The route was absolutely had multiple bridges that crossed a small stream, and leaves were being blown everywhere by the wind. I walked along, battling a few trainers along the way, but trying to avoid too many delays. I still had much to do before the day was over.

Finally, I reached the end of the path, finding a small sign. It read, 'Meet lots of Pokemon! Floccesy Ranch, just off Floccesy Town' I smiled. Yeah, this seemed like a place that Hugh would want to see.

I walked into the perimeter, instantly smiling. It was a beautiful, quaint little farm. The wind blew through the grass and the trees, making a soft rustling noise. I walked further into the farm, then heard a voice.

"Oh! Nice! You've come here to toughen up!" Hugh yelled. I turned to my left, seeing Hugh sitting on a fence post and grinning. I shook my head, walking over.

"No, I was just looking for you. I have to give you something." I said, rolling my eyes. He shook his head.

"Well, you can give it to me after we battle. Come on, I want to see how much stronger you've become! Come at me!" he yelled, holding out his Pokeball. I groaned, looking down at Snivy. It looked up at me, calling out. I grinned, looking back to Hugh.

"Alright, fine. I hope you're ready to lose though." I said, winking at him. He jumped off the fence post.

"You wish! Let's go!" he said. And with that, we began to battle. He sent out his first Pokemon, and only Pokemon as far as I could tell, Tepig. A wave of relief washed over me. I was just glad that I wasn't the only one that hadn't caught any new Pokemon yet.

"Snivy! Wrap it in your vines!" I yelled out. Snivy jumped behind Tepig, sending out its vines and entangling the small pig Pokemon. Hugh grinned.

"Tepig, tackle!" he yelled. The Tepig rammed into Snivy, making it release it's vines. I brushed back my hair.

"Snivy, Leer! Then tackle it!" I yelled. I was confident in my Snivy. I had trained it up, and I was sure that it was a higher level than the Tepig. Snivy used leer, then tried to tackle the pig.

"Tepig, dodge!" Hugh yelled. Tepig jumped out of the way just in time. However, without me having to say anything, Snivy spun back around, tackling it and slamming it into a tree. Tepig had fainted. Hugh groaned.

"No way! How could I have lost?! I need to apologize to my partner..." he said, picking up Tepig. He whispered something to it, then put it back in its ball. I hugged Snivy, then returned it as well. I held out my hand, and Hugh took it, shaking it.

"Not bad. You're thinking about how to bring out your Pokemon's strength. I should be able to count on you for backup, right?" he asked me. I smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, for sure." I replied. We stood for another moment in silence, then Hugh dropped my hand.

"So, you said you had to give me something. What is it?" he asked me. I reached into my bag, taking out one of the town maps and handing it to him. He studied it, then chuckled.

"A town map? Where'd you get this from?" he asked me. I leaned against a tree, sighing.

"My mom. She gave us both one. She was going to give it to you herself, but you were already gone." I replied. He blushed.

"Tch...She didn't have to do that...I should thank her next time I see her." he said. I smiled.

"Thanks to you too, by the way. We just left home, and you've already helped me out." he said. I smiled, nodding.

"No problem Hugh. We need to look out for each other, right?" I asked him. He nodded, laughing. Then, I heard footsteps, turning around to see two people, a man, a woman, and then a Pokemon, a Herdier. The man smiled.

"I thought it was lively around here! You two were having a Pokemon battle, huh? Isn't it nice to be young..." he said dreamily. Hugh and I looked at each other, chuckling awkwardly.

"Who are you?" Hugh asked the man, looking him up and down. The man smiled, extending a hand.

"I'm the owner of this ranch, Jerry, and this is my wife, Martha." he said. We shook hands with the couple. Martha smiled.

"After a Pokemon battle, you should heal your Pokemon's HP, right? Here, I'll give you this." she said, handing us each a potion. We thanked her, tucking them away.

"By the way, you two didn't happen to see a Herdier around here, did you? I can't figure out where it went. Our two Herdier are always together and this is the first time one has wandered off, so I'm a little worried..." Jerry said, looking down at his Herdier. I saw Hugh tense up next to me. He ran a hand through his hair, obviously very upset.

"You're a little worried? Are you KIDDING me?! Your Pokemon might be lost forever!" he yelled at them. Martha gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Jerry blushed, looking down at his feet.

"I'm sorry...I should have watched him better, that's true..." Jerry said sheepishly. I placed a hand on Hugh's shoulder, shaking my head. He groaned.

"Whatever, I'll look. Marisa! Help me out!" he commanded. I stared at him wide-eyed. What had caused this sudden mood swing? But, deciding helping was better than arguing, I smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, okay. We'll find it, trust us." I said. The couple thanked us, but Hugh was already gone off into the forest. I sighed.

"Sorry about him. I don't know what happened. But he does have a bit of a temper..." I explained. They smiled.

"It's alright. Nothing that he said wasn't true. I should have watched them better." Jerry said. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Nah, don't blame yourself. It could happen to anyone. Well, I'm going to go help him. See you in a bit!" I promised, walking off with Snivy into the forest.


	3. Team Plasma

Chapter Three

Team Plasma

**Hello everybody. So yeah, new chapter...Yaaay! I'm back in school...Again...Doing stuff...Woo...o3o So yeah, I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review. It helps me out a lot to know what you guys think of my stuff. :) So I'll see you later! Bye! xoxo-Star**

"Come on Snivy. Let's go find Hugh, okay?" I said to the small grass Pokemon. It smiled, or at least, did the Pokemon equivalent of smiling. I bent down, picking it up and placing it on my shoulders. I began to walk towards the forest when I heard a noise. It sounded familiar, like some sort of Pokemon that I had heard before. I turned around to see a small blue figure, about two feet, standing just behind me.

"Woah...is that a..." I began, taking out my Pokedex. I opened it up, pointing it at the small Pokemon.

"Pokemon 033:Riolu. The Emanation Pokemon. Fighting Type. Height: 2'4. Weight: 44.5 pounds. It uses the shapes of auras, which change according to emotion, to communicate with others." it said. I closed the Pokedex, smiling. I couldn't believe my luck. These were supposed to be pretty rare. I hadn't expected to find one on a farm like this. I took out a Pokeball without thinking, and threw it at the Pokemon.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" a voice shouted at me. I spun around to see a man, not much older than myself, sprinting towards me. Just as he reached me, my Pokeball flew back, hitting me in the stomach. I groaned, kneeling down.

"What are you doing trying to catch my Pokemon?!" the man shouted, bending down and picking up the Riolu. I felt my eyes go wide. I stood up slowly, looking between the two of them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry...I had no idea that it was your Pokemon...Really, I didn't..." I said, blushing. He stared at me, rolling his eyes.

"What, so you just thought that a Pokemon like this would just show up, did you? Yeah, it's mine." he said sarcastically. I studied him closely. He had wavy, sandy blonde hair that stuck out in all directions, and light brown eyes. He wore jeans and a long white t-shirt, and looked pretty ordinary.

"Well, I guess I wasn't thinking. I really am sorry..." I said, trailing off so that he could tell me his name. He looked at me for a minute, then sighed.

"Jarred." he said, sticking out his hand, but not meeting my gaze. I took his hand, shaking it. Something about this guy seemed very familiar...But I couldn't place it. Then, it hit me. I grinned, studying him.

"Oh, are you Jerry and Martha's son?" I asked him, then instantly regretted it. I had made it sound like I was their friend or something. He drew his hand back, crossing his arms.

"Yeah...Jerry's my dad and Martha's my stepmom. Do ya' know them?" he asked me. I nodded, blushing again.

"Well, sort of...I mean, I just met them today...They lost their Herdier...And my friend volunteered to go look for it, and asked me to come along. I'm trying to find him...Have you seen him?" I asked, my words jumbling up as they spilled out of my mouth. He looked down, one corner of his mouth twitching up.

"Yeah. Kid with the blue, spiky hair? He ran past me about five minutes ago, 'bout knockin' me over. I wondered why he was in such a rush. So my dad lost his dang Pokemon again? Figures, that things run off three times this month. It's still young, and we're tryin' to train it." he said, a hint of amusement lining his voice. I nodded.

"I'd better go find him. He'll think that I ditched him or something. See you later..." I said. He looked up.

"Hey, it's my dad's Pokemon. I'll help you find it, alright? It is sorta my responsibility after all." he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his torn up jeans. I grinned, nodding.

"That'd be great. The more help we can get, the quicker we can find him, right?" I said. He nodded.

"Yeah. Okay, let's go then." he said, his Riolu jumping onto his shoulders, looking at me. I began walking towards the area of the forest that I had seen Hugh run off to, Jarred following closely behind.

"You never told me your name." Jarred said from behind me. I stopped, smiling to myself.

"I'm Rosa. I'm a new trainer." I replied, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. He nodded gruffly.

We wandered deeper into the forest, walking down a narrow pathway that had been cut out. The farther we got into the forest, the darker it got. I felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was actually really weird...Finally, we were nearing the center of the forest when I saw a familiar face. Hugh was standing behind a tree, looking around.

"Hugh! Hey, we found you." I said, walking up to him. He looked over at me, smiling. Then, his gaze trailed back to Jarred, and the smile quickly vanished off of his face. He pointed to him.

"Who's that?" he asked me. Jarred stepped next to me, once again shoving his hands into his pockets.

"This is Jarred. I just met him when I was trying to find you. Actually, I tried to catch one of his Pokemon..." I said sheepishly. Hugh glared at Jarred, opening his mouth to say something. Then, we all heard a bark coming from somewhere deeper in the forest. We all glanced in the direction of the bark.

"Did you guys hear that too?" I asked stupidly. Of course they had heard it...But, they nodded, looking around.

"Yeah...I think it came from over there." Hugh said, pointing to our right. I nodded, and we ran off in that direction. After a bit of running, we came upon a patch of trees near the center of the forest. Another bark echoed through the forest. I motioned for them to be quiet, just in case we startled it and it started to run away. The boys nodded, and we crept around the corner. As we did, I saw the Pokemon. However, there was someone else in the clearing. I was about to motion for them to stop, but Hugh had already started to talk.

"Okay, there it is. I'm going to go find the owners, alright?" he asked me. I started to protest, but he was gone. Had he not seen the other guy in the clearing? I looked at Jarred, who was already walking into the clearing.

"Hey, what are you doing with my dad's Pokemon?" he asked the man. He turned around, looking at the two of us. He wore a very strange outfit, or uniform, made out of all black material. A plaque-like emblem on the front of the shirt was light blue, and showed the letter P, and what appeared to be a backwards Z. He had bright red hair that was hidden underneath a cap. His mouth was covered.

"Tch...You little pests! I'm a member of a group that strikes fear into the hearts of those who stand before it: Team Plasma! Ever heard of it?" he said. Then, everything clicked. Team Plasma?! My dad had told me terrible stories about them and their plans to take over the entire region. I stepped in front of Jarred.

"I've heard of you. But your group disbanded years ago. After your leader left." I said confidently. He chuckled.

"That's right. We're the righteous group that tried to conquer Unova two years back in order to liberate Pokemon! Whatever...Fools will never understand us...Still...First I got lost chasing this Herdier, then some nosy kids catch me! All of this is your fault! Take this!" he yelled, running towards me, reeling his fist back. I jumped backwards, squeezing my eyes shut and waiting for the pain. However, it never came. When I opened my eyes again, the guy was on the ground, Jarred standing over him.

"Wow, that was real low. Trying to hit a girl? I've never heard of your team, and there's prolly a reason for that. You're nothin' but low-life cowards. Now get outta here before I call the police." he hissed. The man slowly stood up, then ran out of the clearing. Jarred turned to me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay Rosa?" he asked me gruffly. I nodded, staring at him for a few moments. Then, I hugged him. He held his hands up.

"Wh-What are you doing?" he asked me, his voice sounding panicky. I laughed, releasing him and stepping backwards.

"Thank you Jarred. You really are a good guy, aren't you?" I asked him, smiling. He rolled his eyes, looking down.

"Whatever..." he said. But I could see the faint blush staining his cheeks. I laughed, hearing footsteps behind us. I turned around to see Jerry, Martha, and Hugh.

"Herdier! What made you come all the way back here?" Jerry exclaimed. Herdier barked, jumping into his arms. He laughed, scratching it behind its ears. Jarred and I glanced at each other. He shook his head slowly. I nodded. We couldn't exactly tell his parents that their Pokemon had been taken by a member of an evil team that had supposedly disbanded years ago. It was just too strange.

"You're awfully calm about this! Your Pokemon may have been gone for good! Take better care of it!" Hugh yelled. Then, before I could do anything, he stormed off. We all looked after him, shocked. Jarred turned to me.

"Did something happen to him? What's his problem?" he asked me. I just stared after him and shrugged.

"I've got absolutely no idea..." I replied. What was his problem lately? Why did he keep having this weird mood swings? I sighed.

"Well, thank you so much for your help." Jerry said, disappearing into the forest, walking back to the farm. I looked back at Jarred, smiling.

"I guess I should be off then. I promised someone that I would meet them back in town." I said, finally remembering Alder. He nodded. I turned, walking off when he grabbed my wrist.

"Hey, do you have an Xtransceiver?" he asked me suddenly. I turned back around, looking at him. Once again, he wouldn't meet my gaze. I tilted my head.

"Yeah, I do. What about you?" I asked him. He nodded, looking up at me once again. I waited expectantly.

"Do...You want to put your number in?" I asked him after a few minutes. He nodded, taking out his as well.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. I'm going to be leaving for the Kanto region in about a month anyway, so this may be the only way to keep in contact." he said. I resisted the urge to point out that he wanted to stay in touch. Why were guys so awkward when they wanted to be friends with girls? Like they were all manly and stuff?

"Okay, cool. Here you go." I said, and we swapped devices. I typed in my number, and he typed in his. After a few minutes, we traded back. I shoved my Xtransceiver into my bag once more, then grinned.

"Alright, I'll call you later then. Bye!" I said, turning around again to walk back to town. Surely Alder already thought that I had forgotten or something. But Jarred caught my wrist once again.

"Hey...Listen, they won't let us take any Pokemon across the border into Kanto. I have to leave my Riolu behind...Would you mind takin' care of it?" he said, gesturing to the small Pokemon standing next to him. I felt my mouth hang open.

"You...Want me to take Riolu?" I asked him hesitantly. He paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah. I didn't know what I was going to do with him. I didn't have anyone that I trusted enough. But...I think that you'll take good care of him. You will, right?" he asked. I stood in front of him, totally shocked. All I could do was nod.

"Great. Just lemme say goodbye." he said, leaning down to the Pokemon. He whispered some things to it, making it call out a few times. Then, he hugged it quickly, getting back up. He said goodbye one last time, then returned it to its Pokeball.

"Okay. I told it to treat you just like you were me. It shouldn't be any trouble. Thanks for takin' him." Jarred said, extending the Pokeball to me. I took it slowly, tucking it into my bag where it would be safe. Then, I hugged Jarred again.

"Thanks Jarred. I'll take good care of it. I promise. Just be careful in Kanto, okay?" I asked him, genuinely concerned. I let go of him one last time, and he was blushing again.

"Gee, you sure are a hugger, aren't you? I'll be just fine. No need to worry. I'll see ya later Rosa." he said, looking down. I nodded.

"Bye Jarred. And thanks again. For everything." I said, then walked away, out of the forest and back to town.


End file.
